Player Spotlight: Andrew Sturtz

Audio/Story posted January 26, 2017 in CommRadio, Sports by Alissa Devine

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Andrew Sturtz had high expectations coming into his second year on the Penn State men’s hockey team. In his first year playing NCAA hockey, he led the team in goals (18) and finished third in points (27). His 18 goals were fifth-most in the country by a freshman. The accolades continued as he was second on the team in game-winning goals (3), he led the team in unassisted goals (4), and finished third on the team with a plus-11 rating.

The Buffalo native is used to being a prolific goal scorer. Before coming to Penn State, Sturtz played for the Carleton Place Canadians of the CCHL. While he was there he tallied 217 points in 142 games over two seasons. In addition, he was named the CCHL MVP and CJHL Player of the Year in 2013-14 by leading the league in scoring (104 points, 51 goals and 53 assists) in the regular season. In the playoffs, Sturtz once again led the team in scoring, adding ten goals and nine assists, averaging 1.17 points per game in 72 games.

Despite an offense that is driven by countless shots on net and dominant fore-check fueled by players such as Sturtz, this past weekend Penn State men’s hockey fell to Ohio State two nights in a row. As a result, Hockey Valley fell from No. 1 in the nation to No. 4.

Sturtz and the rest of the team are not dwelling on the loss. Sturtz says that losses are timely and they can push the team to play even harder for the rest of the season. He looked back at the second game against St. Lawrence and said the loss helped them get on a hot streak, propelling them to the top of the national rankings.

“From my standpoint I believe any college hockey player would obviously take where we’re at over where a lot of other teams are at. With that being said it’s still January and we still have a lot of work to do,” Sturtz said. “We want to be in a position like this come April, so we’re just going to continue to play Penn State hockey and do what the coaching staff says. Hopefully things keep going the way they are.”

Sturtz is one of the most dynamic players on the team with a combination of skill and fortitude. Not only does he have quick hands coupled with good vision and a solid hockey IQ, he also has a lot of heart. It shows on and off the ice.

Unlike last year, Sturtz was a freshman and new to the system. This year, he is an experienced player and a leader for the young guns and a driving force in the locker room. As Sturtz said, Penn State will use their loss to Ohio State as motivation to make it back to No. 1 in the nation.

Penn State takes on the Princeton Tigers this Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

 

Alissa Devine is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email alissadevine96@gmail.com